Along with him, Bullhead had brought a motley assortment of Shinnobs, all of whom Cork had known his whole life-Chuck Daydodge, Oliver Hudson, Bob Rainingbird. Carson Manydeeds was with them, wearing a VFW ball cap with gold braid on the crown. Ray Jay Wakemup was there as well, his first full day as a free man after two months in the county jail. They all exchanged greetings, and Cork said, “What the hell are you guys doing here?”
The nurse said, “Making trouble.”
“Not at all,” Bullhead assured her with a big grin. “We’re the rez cavalry. We’re here to help. We heard the guy who went after my cousin’s son is still out there, maybe thinking of trying something again. We figured we’d help cover here, give that son of a bitch something to think about if he was considering taking another crack at Stephen. You understand that, right?”
“The police-” the nurse began.
“Are nowhere in sight.” Bullhead spread his arms toward the waiting room, indicating the complete absence of uniforms. “They show up, we’ll take a powder, promise. In the meantime, wouldn’t you rather have someone making sure no one brought violence onto your floor?”
She eyed him with suspicion, obviously trying to decide if violence hadn’t already arrived.
“We’ll be a quiet presence, I promise,” Bullhead said and used his index finger to make a little cross over his heart.
“If there’s any trouble-”
“It won’t be coming from us, I guarantee it.”
The nurse considered this, then considered the gathering, and finally gave a perfunctory nod. “I’ll be watching.”
“A comfort to us all,” Bullhead said with a pleasant smile.
The nurse retreated.
Bullhead turned to Cork. “So what’s the plan, cousin?”
* * *
“There’s someone here to see you,” Stephen’s father told him. “Marlee.”
Since he’d come out of post-op, Stephen had been drifting in and out of sleep. The sleep wasn’t peaceful. It was a disturbing mix of images from Crow Point-the stranger on the shoreline, the gun, the frigid water-and things that had nothing to do with reality-walking through an empty house that he didn’t recognize and that was full of secret rooms, running a cross-country race in his underwear. Each time he came back to consciousness, it was with the realization that he could not feel his legs and feet. At last, he’d awakened and found Henry Meloux beside him, and the old Mide’s presence and calming voice and wise perspective had helped ease some of his anxiety.
He wasn’t certain at all that he wanted to see Marlee now.
“If you’d rather not,” his father said, “that’s all right.”
“No, it’s okay,” Stephen replied. “For a little while.”
Cork signaled Anne, who’d been at Stephen’s bedside constantly, to come with him, and a couple of moments later, Stephen found himself alone with Marlee Daychild.
She looked awful. And she looked beautiful. Her face was bruised, and she walked as if it was terribly painful for her, and she wore a worried expression. But that didn’t matter, because the moment he saw her, he felt an ember deep inside him begin to glow.
“I know,” she said and almost turned away. “I look awful.”
“You look wonderful,” he said.
“You look-” She began to cry. “Oh, Stephen, I’m so sorry.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want you to be this way. It hurts me.”
“I watched you walk in. I think you hurt enough already.” He smiled and reached out and took her hand. “How’re you doing?”
“I was afraid you were going to die. And I wanted to die, too.”
“But here we are. Both alive.”
Her eyes shot to his legs under the sheet and blanket, and he could guess her thinking.
He squeezed her hand. “The doctors say there’s hope. And Henry tells me there’s purpose in this.”
“What purpose?” she fired back angrily.
Stephen pretty much repeated what Meloux had told him. “In time, we’ll understand.”
She hit his shoulder lightly with her free hand, a gentle but irritated tap. “You’re so damn calm.”
“I can’t do anything about what’s happened except prepare myself to accept the way things are.” Which were words, only words. The truth was he was terribly afraid, and every quiet moment he had to himself, he prayed desperately not to have to live his life crippled. Because he didn’t want her to see his fear, he looked down at her hand and asked, “Would it make a difference if I couldn’t walk?”
She didn’t answer, and her silence became an unbearable weight. He finally looked up, right into the dark, wet satin of her eyes.
“I would carry you everywhere,” she told him. “And I would be happy.” She leaned down and kissed him a very long time.
* * *
Cork stood with Stella in the hallway outside Stephen’s room.
“You know, I’ve always thought I was kind of screwed up,” Stella said, “but then a guy like this Frogg comes along and makes me realize what crazy really is.”
She wore jeans, a white sweater of some soft knit, a necklace of amber-colored stones, and matching earrings. Cork thought it was odd, maybe inexcusable, that under the circumstances he noted such inconsequential things. But he and Stella had shared a night that felt to him as if it had significant consequence, and even the small things about her had become important. She held a paperback book in one hand.
“What’re you reading?” Cork asked.
“To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s been on my bookshelf forever. I thought it might be a good way to pass the time in the waiting room.”
“How are you and Marlee doing?”
She looked at him, as if perplexed. “You’ve got all this crap to deal with and you’re asking about Marlee and me? Are you for real?”
“If you’re doing okay, then it’s one less thing I need to worry about.”
She reached up with her free hand and cupped his cheek. On her wrist he smelled that alluring fragrance he could not name. “Cork, I don’t know what this is between you and me. I didn’t mean for it to get serious, but I think it is.” She waited a moment. “Isn’t it?”
“When everything settles down, that’s an area we need to explore,” he answered. “It’s an area I’d like to explore.”
She lifted her face to his, and he closed his eyes and let himself, amid all the chaos that had descended, enjoy for just a moment the pleasure of her lips.
“I’d like that, too,” she whispered as she drew away.
Stephen asked if Marlee could stay with him awhile longer, and that was fine with Cork. In the waiting area, Tom Bullhead and the other Shinnobs from the rez had set up a guard rotation. Each would take a turn standing post outside Stephen’s room for an hour and then be relieved. The others would bide their time playing pinochle for pennies with a deck that Bob Rainingbird had brought along. Cork pulled Jenny and Anne aside for a family discussion. At some point, they had to head back to Aurora. Jenny needed to take Waaboo off Skye’s hands, and they were all due for a shower and a change of clothing. If possible, they all needed some rest as well. The O’Connors returned to Stephen’s room to discuss the situation with him. Meloux accompanied them.
“Are you going, too?” Stephen asked the old Mide after Cork had explained things.
Henry said, “There is nothing waiting for me. If you want me here, here is where I will be.”
“Thanks, Henry,” Stephen said.
Cork said, “I’ll be back tonight. But if anything changes, the doctors will let us know, and I’ll come right away.”
“Me, too,” Anne said.
“I’ll be fine,” Stephen told them.
Cork knew it was mostly bravado, but he also knew that Stephen was surrounded by good people and good energies. Cork had things to attend to, and one in particular that was eating at him like acid.
He kissed the top of his son’s head. “I love you, guy.”